Entries Tagged as 'Design Library'

Nov 30, 2015

Next up on our list of amazing cities is Toronto, Ontario, home to two of our retail locations, both located in the heart of the GTA.

Best Pizza: Terroni

With plenty of locations to choose from, Terroni has perfected authentic Italian pizza. On any one of our visits to Toronto, a stop at this classic eatery is a must. Plus, the Queen Street West location has the most ideal back patio that easily garners our number two best patio spot.

Via On the fourth floor

Best Date Spot: Mr. Flamingo

New(ish) to the Dundas West area, Mr. Flamingo is tucked away from the street, situated in a very vibrant, yet cozy resto-bar. The ambience and the menu will definitely impress your date (especially the burrata), and you can conveniently go downstairs to Bambi’s (which is under the same ownership of Mikey Apples) to continue your date!

Via Toronto Life

Best Outdoor Market: Wychwood Barns Farmers’ Market

Easily do all of your grocery shopping in this one-stop shop filled with local farmers, bakers, fresh produce, jams, honey and fresh flowers.

Via She does the City

Best running route: High Park

More of a park than a running route, High Park’s beautifully landscaped gardens and greenery does contain unpaved pathways making it the perfect spot for running, while experiencing Toronto at its best.

Via Pinterest

Best coffee shop: Sam James

With five coffee bars now open in the best parts of Toronto, Sam James keeps to the basics with simple store designs and the most amazing coffee.

Via Sam James Coffee Bar

Best Brunch: Saving Grace

Serving everything from sweet and savory staples, along with seasonally inspired specials, the (very) long Saturday and Sunday line is worth every minute.

Via Not just lettuce blog

Best Architectural Building: Bar Raval

As one the newest, most talked about restaurants in Toronto, Bar Raval quite literally bars none. Its recent list of acknowledgments includes The Design Exchange Emerging Designer Award, Architect Magazine’s R+D award, and The Restaurant & Bar Design Award. Needless to say, its oiled mahogany millwork makes it the most beautiful bar in Toronto.

Via Architect Magazine

Best music venue: Massey Hall

One of Toronto’s oldest music venues, Massey Hall has hosted everyone from Aretha Franklin to Justin Bieber. The amazing acoustics make even the furthest seats in the highest balcony feel as if they’re right on stage.

Via My world of photos

Best cocktail bar: The Black Hoof cocktail bar

With ‘30s and ‘40s jazz music always on, the relaxed speakeasy vibe, and vintage-made cocktails, Black Hoof Cocktail bar is the best place for a manhattan…or two.

Via Flickr

Best Patio: Drake hotel

A Toronto staple, the Drake Hotel Queen Street patio offers the best people-watching, as you never know who you will spot checking in or out of the hotel!

Atelier Bow-Wow is an architecture firm like no other, and a favourite of EQ3’s Creative Director Thom Fougere.

The Tokyo-based firm is a two-part team, made up of architects Yoshiharu Tsukamoto and Momoyo Kaijima. Known for their use of the urban vernacular, Atelier Bow-Wow follows the framework of “Void Metabolism,” designing small houses that fit between existing buildings and fill the gaps in Tokyo’s residential areas.¹

In their book Atelier Bow-Wow: Behaviorlogy (2010), Tsukamoto and Kaijima explore what it means to design a small house in a big, chaotic city. They present over 30 of their completed architecture projects, many of which are multi-level homes that take advantage of small, unused, and often awkward patches of land in Tokyo.

Tsukamoto and Kaijima’s House & Atelier Bow-Wow is a good example of their consideration towards a building’s behaviorology. Designed to function as Tsukamoto and Kaijima’s residence, as well as Atelier Bow-Wow’s head quarters, this semi-public building is nestled so tightly between adjacent houses that it is barely visible from the street.

Atelier Bow-Wow’s answer to these spatial constraints were exterior walls that slant inward to meet code, and large window openings to frame neighbouring houses (a mere 1 to 2 metres away). In this way, they connected their interior to its environment, rather than fought against it.

Large window openings face neighbouring houses, connecting the interior of House & Atelier Bow-Wow to its surroundings. Atelier Bow-Wow (2005)

Essays written by contributing professionals in architecture, art and sociology break-up the catalogue of work featured in Atelier Bow-Wow: Behaviorology. The book closes with a look at the art installations (or “micro public spaces”), furniture and other smaller bodies of work that have garnered Atelier Bow-Wow much international attention. You can learn more about past publications from Atelier Bow-Wow here.

May 30, 2014

We love sending you into the weekend with something good to read in design, art and culture.

Today’s installment of Design Library is extra special, because we’ve got not 1 but 5 book recommendations for you! Sticking with the theme of the week – San Francisco – we’ve compiled a list of books covering SF culture and curiosities. We’re excited to work our way through the list, and hope you are too!

This one is at the top of our list for a reason! In her book, Meanwhile in San Francisco, renowned San Francisco based artist Wendy MacNaughton takes readers on an illustrated stroll through the City by the Bay. The book is a collection of illustrations from MacNaughton’s own sketchbook, and captures the city’s culture in everything from farmer’s market vendors to San Francisco’s beloved Golden Gate Bridge. Bonus: the book jacket unfolds into an illustrated poster!

Meanwhile in San Francisco just hit shelves in March of this year and it’s already sold out! It might be tough to get your hands on a copy today, but you’ll be able to get your reading fix soon. Wendy says the new edition should be out any day. See you at the bookstore?!

Finally, a city guide written by someone who knows and loves the city! In Why is that Bridge Orange?, author and lifelong Bay Area resident Art Peterson looks at the everyday sights and eccentricities that make up San Francisco, and answers 86 questions you may have wondered about them. Questions like Why is that Bridge Orange? or Why is Lombard Street Crooked? It’s a tourist book for the local and the guest, alike.

Part history, part reporting, and part lyrical prose, Cool Gray City of Love offers a portrait of San Francisco that sounds as eclectic and unpredictable as the city itself. Fourty-nine chapters tell the story of 49 specific sites or intersections in the city. A collection of 49 hand-drawn maps completes the beautiful depiction of the City by the Bay.

Mid-Century by the Bay is a celebration of post Word War II architecture in San Francisco. Author Heather David brings us back into the past with vintage ephemera, including some of her own photography, of the post war suburbs to the futuristic commercial architecture of that time.

Image Source: Book cover illustration used with permission by Wendy MacNaughton

May 9, 2014

The word “architect” is a noun, but architect, entrepreneur, author and teacher Doug Patt likes to use it as a verb.

Patt is a registered licensed architect in Pennsylvania. He earned his degree from Penn State University, and has practiced in the field for close to two decades. During that time he also received his masters from The University of Pennsylvania and taught in the architecture programs at Pennsylvania State University and Northampton Community College. Pratt currently is a consultant in high-end residential architecture, and runs the popular website and YouTube Channel “How to Architect.”

In 2012, Patt published a book by the same name. How To Architect is an extension of Patt’s online video series and site, teaching readers the ABC’s of architecture. He goes through each letter of the alphabet, highlighting a specific term in each chapter that he feels is relevant to the practice of architecture. Some terms are exactly what you’d expect to find in a book about architects – terms such as Assymmetry, Building Codes, Design, Form, Invention and Proportion. But Pratt goes beyond architecture lingo and introduces the architecture culture with terms such as Ego, Kevin Bacon (turn’s out the actor’s father is an architect), Quirky and Zeal.

Looking to the familiar comfort of his drafting pencil, Patt introduces each chapter with a hand-drawn illustration and hand-lettered title. Additional illustrations, photographs and images further demonstrate Pratt’s ideas on architecture.

Together, the text and imagery of this A-Z index offer a realistic look at the glorified and the gritty sides of the profession.

How to Architect is a quick and easy read. We finished the 125 page soft cover book during the short flight from La Guardia, NY to Toronto. This book is for those fascinated by architecture, those aspiring to become an architect, and those established architects needing a fresh perspective on the work they do.

There’s no shame in admitting that you have creative blocks. Everyone does, including Danielle Krysa, a Canadian artist, graphic designer and blogger living in Vancouver. She had a successful career as a graphic designer and creative director, but found herself lacking confidence as an artist. She would see others’ artwork, and quickly self-doubt and jealous comparisons would set in.

In an effort to kick this creative block, Danielle started The Jealous Curator: an art blog that turns her jealous “I wish I thought of that” reaction into something positive. Each day, she shares a post about contemporary art that inspires her / makes her jealous (in a good way!), and now instead of being paralyzed by comparisons, Danielle is inspired to head to the studio herself!

For her first book, Creative Block (2014), Danielle interviewed 50 successful artists from around the world to find out how they handle their own creative hurdles.

The series of interviews that make up this 288 page paperback give an honest and authentic look at an industry that’s often known for outward egos and hidden insecurities. Creative Block presents a mix of internationally known artists and emerging talent, revealing how both established and new artists alike respond to questions about their art, self-worth and success. The featured artists open up about their own creative blocks, what they do when they’re feeling stuck, and how they handle criticism (both from themselves and from others).

The book combines contemporary art images with inspiring words, tips and advice for getting unstuck on artistic projects and discovering new ideas. Each interview concludes with a challenge from the artist – a Creative unBlock Project to help readers overcome creative blocks and get inspired.

If you’re at all creative (or admire those who are), then this book is for you!

About This Blog

Welcome to Inhabit!

At EQ3, we love to explore Canada's design, art and culture scene. And, we want to share that with you.

You'll find designer interviews, learn about different crafts, and discover new books and films to read or watch. You'll find other fun things too, like blogger home tours, music playlists, freebie printables, and contest announcements, as well as EQ3 behind the scenes footage, product intros and more.

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